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Cockroaches are scavengers. Omnivorous, they will eat almost anything they find. The insect would certainly prefer the food we eat, but is capable of eating a variety of non-food items.
What is a cockroach?
The cockroach is an insect and it may be one of the longest living things in the world. They are masters at hiding, so getting rid of these pests is the hardest part. Along with their prolific reproduction, these creatures are viable.
Some fossils suggest they exist over 320 million years ago. They may have experienced everything that has ever walked the earth.
The appearance of a cockroach is an oval, flattened body, filamentous antennae with a shiny brown or black leather cover. The head tilts down. Unlike other insects, its mouth is directed backward and not downward or forward.
Males usually have two pairs of wings. Females in some species have vestigial wings. In others, they are wingless. There are over 4500 species of roach. But a little more than two dozen live around people.
The scavenger definitely prefers a humid, warm, and dark environment. They invade premises, inhabit sewers and live on dead trees. Although they are ubiquitous, most of the population lives in tropical mild climates.
It worries …
Many already regard the cockroach as a disturbing sight with its intimidating crawling ability and health hazards. Imagine when a cockroach flies into the air? Flying cockroaches are found in many parts of the country and are common throughout the world.
Another disturbing sight is the hissing cockroach. A disturbance such as light or danger will cause the hissing cockroach to emit a squealing tar. This is a danger signal or warning to the members of the colony.
Unlike their brethren, hissing cockroaches have nothing to do with disease. They appear to be free of worms, viruses and bacteria. Many cultures keep them as pets.
The cockroach survived
The cockroach’s excellent survival ability is evident in what it eats. They may prefer to eat sweets and meat, but when not available, they will happily eat paper, food, clothing, books, rotting wood, and dead pests such as bedbugs.
Cockroaches need water. Without it, they quickly perish. Curiously, if they cannot get food, but have access to water, the insect can survive for months.
Cockroaches adapt by eating any food available. They invade kitchens, grocery stores, restaurants and basements. They dwell behind and under furniture, and in cracked walls.
With the ability to climb walls and ceilings, there are no gaps that they cannot reach. They take risks mostly in the dark. (Many are familiar with the infamous scene of turning on lights and watching cockroaches running around.)
Diet with cockroaches
As omnivores, cockroaches get along well with animals and plants. But they are not picky. They will gnaw on any substance that comes from a living organism.
- Starches
- Sweets
- Fatty substances
- Meat
- Bread
- Cardboard
- Books and book covers
- Wallpaper glue
- Paper
- Cat waste
- Stamps
- Feces (including your own)
- Nails
- Dead skin (including your own)
- Hair
- Leather
- Plastic
- Soap
- Toothpaste
- Dead insects (including other cockroaches)
Omnivorous pests gnaw on containers. We’re talking about sugar, flour, bags of chips, and cereal boxes. As soon as an insect enters the package, consider it as contaminated.
Predators
Among its many predators are toads and frogs. Mice are a common threat. Beetles, spiders and other insects hunt the cockroach. Beetle larvae and silverfish also pose a threat. Other cockroaches devour their fellows.
Cockroach threat
A Cambridge study found more than 30 different bacteria in these scavengers living in close proximity to humans. Cockroaches are some of the dirtiest animals on the planet. Insects walk with a variety of disease-causing pathogens.
Science has not found a link between these creatures and a particular outbreak, but believes they regularly spread infections. The World Health Organization names cockroaches as potential carriers of microorganisms that cause dysentery, cholera, diarrhea and typhoid fever.
When cockroaches pass your tables, kitchen counters or – they swallow! – food, there is a possibility of transmission of pathogenic microbes. As if that weren’t enough, cockroach feces release an odorous pheromone. If the number of insects is not high, we will never smell them, but other cockroaches will. This lets the gang know that there is a good place to eat and nest. Long-term exposure to faeces can contribute to the development of respiratory diseases.
How do cockroaches digest what they eat?
Cockroaches have a digestive system that symbiotically engulfs bacteria. The bacteria supply the omnivorous roach with nutrients and help it metabolize all these harmful compounds.
Science believes that millions of years of survival of the cockroach in the worst ecosystems and the ability to eat anything have resulted in the cockroach’s extraordinary ability to absorb dangerous or toxic elements.
Roach digests cellulose. This is why they gnaw bindings, newspapers, documents, and cardboard. Outdoor creatures love piles of branches, leaves, and dead trees.
What can you do with cockroaches?
Here’s what we can do to tackle the almost impossible task of controlling cockroaches.
Wash the floor
The first step to controlling cockroaches is to remember that they spend a lot of time on the floor. The next thing to remember is that they eat whatever they want. This means the worst is food, including pet dander and skin flakes.
Cockroaches have an extraordinary sense of smell, and they use it to find the smallest bite. And the floor doesn’t have to be dirty to have dust mites or debris on it. Keep floors clean, especially in dark areas where cockroaches hide.
Animal feed
Pet lovers leave a bowl of food for their pets, especially if they are not at home all day. You might as well cook cockroaches for a Vegas vacation with an unlimited food buffet.
Even after the pet empties the bowl, there is enough leftover for the diet of the cockroach family an
d
all their animals.
Natural resources such as cleanliness and elimination of food sources help to minimize the roach population. Traps are a good bet. Fighters are another way out.
Sprays and insecticides can help, but recent research shows that – just as cockroaches have done for millions and millions of years – insects gradually develop immunity.
Next: do guinea pigs bite? Everything you need to know about guinea pigs and human interaction
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